This invention is concerned with container closures, and more specifically with a threaded closure for a large-mouth container, e.g. with a three-inch or greater diameter finish, the closure including an openable/closable pour spout and an upwardly pivotable handle for carrying the container and for holding the container for pouring.
A dispensing spout is often desirable for containers carrying liquids. It is desirable to have a pour spout forming a part of a closure for the container, preferably with the pour spout movable from an open, dispensing position to a closed and sealed position.
Such a container closure has been produced and has been in commercial use. A container closure of the type generally described has been known for container finish diameters of about 110 mm finish diameter, and have included a separately molded pouring spout structure which was snapped onto a boss on the top of the closure body for rotation on a slightly off-vertical oblique axis. When pivoted to an outward position, the pour spout extended over the edge of the closure body and at an upward angle for pouring, and this was effective to open the pouring spout to the liquid in the container below, through an opening at one side of the boss on the container body. When swung 180.degree. to a closed, storage position, the pour spout structure had a sealing wiper which rotated to block off the opening leading into the container, with the purpose of forming a seal against leakage of liquid from the container.
Further, this known closure structure had a pivoted handle, swingable on a horizontal axis from a flat position down against the top surface of the closure body to an upper position for holding the container by the handle while pouring. The known closure assembly had a vent opening in the top of the closure body, on a side opposite the location of the spigot. A vent plug or nipple on the pivotable handle was positioned to engage into the vent hole to seal the vent opening when the handle was swung down to the lower, horizontal position.
It has been found that the described closure assembly was not fully effective in sealing against leakage of liquid through the pour spout structure when the pour spout or spigot was in the closed position. Also, the vent plug did not engage in the vent in such a way as to completely seal the vent while engaging tightly therein, sufficiently tight that the handle would not jar loose during transportation or handling, while still not requiring a great deal of force to close the vent.
It is an object of this invention to improve the sealing characteristics of such a closure assembly, providing a fully effective seal, to improve the vent closing arrangement cooperating between the handle and the closure body, and to improve the closure structure in several other aspects.